


Her Beloved Unknown

by queta_94



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017), Disney - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, but it was an idea i had, idk how good this is, so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 08:38:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queta_94/pseuds/queta_94
Summary: AU of events after Belle leaves to save her father. The transformation scene is inspired by the original fairytale.





	Her Beloved Unknown

 

It was just after midnight when the beast returned to his room. He was exhausted and heartbroken, longing to see Belle’s smile one last time. The last petal was still clinging to the rose, as was the last thread of his hope. Despite having let Belle go he couldn’t help but hope she’d come back to him, though he knew it was a foolish hope; or so he thought.

  
Upon looking up from the rose he saw Belle, still clad in yellow, rushing into the room. Her cheeks were flushed and she was out of breath. The moment she saw him she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was frozen with shock a moment before resting one hand on her back.

  
“You came back.”

  
Belle pulled away from him. Her eyebrows were knotted together the way they did when she was in a stubborn mood.

  
“Of course I did. I always planned to.”

  
“And your father?”

  
A relieved smile spread across her face, “He’s fine. He escaped the town and I found him wandering in the woods. He said he was trying to find the castle.”

  
“Well, he must stay, both of you that is. My castle is your castle. Everything I have is yours as well.”

  
Belle looked as surprised as she did when he gave her the library.

  
“We will stay. I will speak for my father in this. We won’t go back there. They tried to send him away. They thought he was crazy. We can’t go back.”

  
“Then you stay, no matter what happens to me, you’ll stay.”

  
“But you’ll be here...”

  
The beast nodded and put a hand on her arm while stepping aside, giving her a clear view of the rose. Horror spread across her face at the sight of the single petal remaining.

  
“It’s almost gone,” she said with sadness lacing her voice, “What will happen?”

  
“I will remain a beast forever and everyone else will fade away. They’ll become nothing more than simple objects.”

  
“Will you stay as you are or will you change?”

  
“Change?”

  
“Would you become a true beast?”

  
“Belle, I am a beast.”

  
“No, you’re not. You’re trapped, but you aren’t a beast, not truly.”

  
The beast was touched, as he always was by her kindness.

  
“I don’t think I will. I believe the enchantress said I would stay as I am, but if I do you and your father must leave. Take everything of value that you can manage and use it to start a new life far from here. You could take some books and start a school or a library. Do something that makes you happy.”

  
“I don’t want to leave you.”

  
The beast smiled at that. Belle moved away from him to sit down on the edge of his bed. Her eyes were glassy and brimming with tears. The beast moved to sit beside her.

  
“I don’t want that either, but Belle, if anything were to happen you’d be just fine. You are so strong and so brave. You would conquer any challenge that life threw at you. I have no doubt about that. I’m uncertain about a lot, but not that.”

  
“You’re the only friend I’ve ever had, you know? And now I may lose you. I don’t even know your name!”

  
“Adam.”

  
“What?”

  
“Adam is my name. Well, not my real name. My real name is some horrid long aristocratic nonsense.”

  
Belle couldn’t help but chuckle at that, “So, then where did Adam come from?”

  
“Mrs. Potts started calling me that when I was young. My mother and the other servants started calling me that as well not long after. My mother said she thought it was a sweet name. My father only used my formal name, which made it like poison to me.”

  
“Well, then I won’t ask to know it. Besides Adam is a sweet name; a sweet name for a sweet man,” Belle smiled up at him, eyes still teary.

  
“I wasn’t always sweet, but thank you.”

  
“This is all so unfair. You are a good man and yet it seems that isn’t enough to free you.”

  
“It’s part of it, but not quite enough. I don’t want you to worry about that now. The future will be as it must be.”

  
Belle nodded and looked down at her hands, "How long will it take for the petal to fall?”, she asked hesitantly.

  
“Not long now. I’m glad you’re here with me,” He looked down at her. She was intently staring at the rose.

  
“Why did you let me go?”

  
“Because you are my friend, my best friend in fact,” he hesitated before continuing, unsure of what a confession would do, “and because I love you. I’ve come to learn that you must let those you love go. They aren’t yours to keep.”

  
“You love me?” the beast looked down at Belle, who stared up at him looking absolutely dumbfounded.

  
“Yes. I’ve never loved anyone quite as much. I expect nothing from you. Having your near is more than I could ever ask for.”

  
Belle stayed silent beside him. She looked as if she were moments from fainting with exhaustion.

  
“You should sleep, Belle. You are exhausted.”

  
“I don’t want to leave you.”

  
“You can stay here tonight. There’s no reason not to. If the petal falls I’ll wake you.”

  
“Promise?”

  
“I promise.”

  
…

  
Belle woke a few hours later. It was still dark and the petal was still clinging to the rose. Relief shot through her as she scanned the room for Adam. She found him lying on his back in front of the fire, sleeping. He looked so peaceful. She quietly moved from the bed, dragging a blanket behind her, to his side. She lay on her side beside him and covered herself with the blanket trying to keep out the chill. She watched him for a few moments. She knew if the petal fell it might be dangerous to be so close to him if he truly changed, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She would stay with him, always; she was determined to do so.

  
“I love you, too,” she said, barely above a whisper.

  
Despite the braveness he saw in her she didn’t feel brave enough to admit her feelings to him while he was awake, a fact with caused a pang of regret to course through her. She knew very well that he may never get to hear it from her, but she felt sure that he knew, deep down.

  
She moved to lie on her back. The warmth of the fire and steadiness of his breathing lulled her back to sleep.

  
…

  
Belle woke up the next morning to the sun illuminating the room brightly in a way it never had before. For a moment she forgot where she was. She was lying on her side facing away from the fire. Her body felt stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her. She sat up and looked beside her expecting to find her beast, but rather she found a young man.

  
She couldn’t see his face, as it was covered with his hair. He was lean with long light brown hair that had a slight red tint to it. She carefully moved his hair from his face. He was handsome, to be sure, and vaguely looked like the boy in the torn painting.

  
She covered him with her blanket and stood up. She didn’t know what to do. She thought that maybe this man, this unknown man, was Adam, but part of her was unsure even though she didn't know who else it could be. She didn’t think the spell could be broken. If it had been she didn’t know how.

  
Her attention was pulled away from him with the sound of a gentle knock on the door. She moved cautiously to the door not wanting to disturb the man. Upon opening the door she found a woman, who was older with a kind face.

  
“Oh, my dear!” the woman pulled Belle into a tight hug. Despite the confusion Belle felt she knew the voice of the woman and would know it anywhere.

  
“Mrs. Potts?”

  
“Yes, my dear. Is the master here?”

  
Belle led her inside and pointed towards the young man. She looked back at Mrs. Potts whose eyes were full of tears.

  
“Oh, my dear, you’ve saved us all. I never thought I would see him as he should be again.”

  
“I broke the spell?”

  
“I would say you have.”

 

"I don't understand, how... how could I have? I didn't do anything."

 

"Do you love him?"

 

"I do, very much."

 

"He had to learn to love and to earn someone else's love. He earned your love and you learned to love him. That's what you did."

  
Belle nodded, unsure of what to do next.

  
“Should we wake him?”

  
“No, I think we should let him sleep. I imagine the transformation was exhausting for him. It was for me, at least. Come, let’s get you some breakfast and maybe get you out of these clothes.”

  
Belle didn’t want to leave the room just yet. She was full of questions, but she knew they would keep. If this man was once her beast then there was a future to be had, as well as answers to be had, in time.

  
…

  
He woke with a start. He was covered in a blanket he didn’t remember grabbing. He pulled his hands up to pull off the blanket and was stunned to see human hands. He stood up quickly stumbling to the other side of his room where a mirror was kept under a sheet. Getting the sheet off was far harder than it should have been given how uncoordinated he was. When the sheet was removed he was shocked to see staring back at him a man. He was a man again.

  
Belle. She was here. He had to find her.

  
He managed to find some old clothes that would fit him better. They were simple, practically the same thing he had been wearing before, just much smaller.  
He went to Belle’s room first. It was a slow journey. His steps were unsure. He wasn’t used to being so light. She wasn’t there. He moved as quickly as he could manage to the library. He knew he should have looked there first. She practically lived there.

  
As he approached the library he could hear voices coming from within. He slowly opened the door to find Belle showing her father the library. She was in an emerald green dress with her hair pulled up in the braid. She didn’t even turn her head at the sound of the door opening.

  
“Belle?”

  
She turned around and dropped the book she was holding.

  
“Adam?”

  
He nodded his head and moved further into the room. His steps faltered slightly as he grabbed hold of the nearest table. He looked up to find Belle moving closer to him. When she reached him she rest her hand on his cheek, studying his face.

  
“It is you,” her face lit up as she realized that her sweet beast stood before her as a man, “I thought it was you this morning, but it didn’t seem real.”

  
“It is real; at least I think it is. If it is a dream then I hope I never wake.”

  
“Nor I,” she said with a smile before bounding up to kiss him.

  
It was sweet, chaste, and a bit awkward, but he wouldn’t have changed it for the world. He pulled away after a moment fully aware that Belle’s father was still in the room and rest his forehead against Belle’s. He knew if he didn’t stop now he would give into passion and he didn’t want to offend the older man.

  
“My love, I’m sorry to ruin the moment, but I need to sit down.”

  
Belle moved away from him, concern written across her face.

  
“Are you okay?”

  
“Of course, I’m just a lot lighter than I’m used to. I’m afraid I’m not quite as agile as I once was. And transforming back into a man was quite exhausting.”

  
Belle laughed at that and took hold of his arm helping in move towards the sofa.

  
“I’m glad my struggle is amusing to you.”

  
“Oh yes, very,” she smiled up at him. She helped him sit before sitting beside him.

  
“I have a lot of questions, but first I think it’s time you properly met my father. For now those questions will keep,” she turned away from him facing where her father was. He was in the corner engrossed in a book obviously trying to give them some privacy.

  
“Papa? Would you come join us?”

  
Upon seeing the man sit on a chair across from them Adam felt a pang of guilt and shame for his past behavior. Belle seemed to sense his change in mood and took his hand in hers.

  
“Papa, this is Adam. Adam, this is my father, Maurice.”

  
“It is lovely to meet you, properly that is, sir. And I feel I must apologize for my past behavior. I wish I could say it was out of character, but I’m afraid it wasn’t.”

  
Maurice gave him a small smile, “Well, from what Belle has told me of you I would say it is no longer something you would do, and that is what matters. You learned and you changed. That in its self is admirable.”

  
“Thank you, sir. You kindness is something I don’t feel I deserve, but nevertheless I appreciate it. And I would like to open my home to you. Belle told me what happened with the townsfolk and I feel it would be dangerous to return.”

  
“Sir, I couldn’t…”

  
Belle gave her father a stern look, “Papa, we must. Adam and I can go to town and get our things, but I think we must stay. I’ve been happy here and you would be too, I know you would.”

  
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  
“You wouldn’t. Belle is my family and this is her home, so I wish for it to be yours too. There’s more than enough room, I assure you,” Belle looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile, “As Belle said we can go to town and get all of your things. If you truly don’t want to I won’t force you, Belle may try, but it’s only because she wants you safe.”

  
“He will stay, we both will. This isn’t a discussion.”

  
“Very well, my dear,” Maurice said giving Belle a loving smile, “you are both quite right. It is dangerous there for me, so you are right, I will stay without you having to force me,” he gave Belle a pointed look, “though I know very well that you could. I am powerless when it comes to you, my dear Belle, and I would say I am not alone at that. Now, I’m going to go and explore the gardens a bit, I think. It is a lovely day and I would like to explore my new home.”

  
He stood to leave the room, giving Belle a kiss on the forehead before leaving.

  
“Once I get my strength back we will go to the village and gather your things. I imagine bringing along some of the others will make it easier.” Adam took her other hand in his.

  
“Very well,” she gave him a quick smile and looked down at their entwined hands.

  
“What is it?” she looked up at him and gave him a confused look, “I’d like to think I know you well enough to know when you’re working something out in that head of yours. You can tell me.”

  
Belle was silent a moment before taking a deep breath, “Will you marry me?”

  
Adam was stunned. It was the last thing he expected her to say. He expected it to be some sort of worry about the future, about their future, but a proposal was unexpected. 

  
“Will you?” she looked up at him, worried by his silence, “I love you and I know you love me. You’re my best friend in the world and I don’t intend to ever leave you, at least not of my own accord.”

  
“Of course I will marry you. It’s a rather silly question, don’t you think?” Adam smiled down at her.

  
“It’s not a silly question!” she insisted.

  
Adam laughed at her response. She looked as determined and stubborn as ever.

  
“It isn’t, I’m just teasing you, my love. But I meant what I said. I will marry you, whenever and wherever you want. If I’m with you nothing else matters.”

  
“Good. When your strength is fully back and the castle is cleaned up we will marry. I know you’re a prince and that that comes with duties that I’m sure will resurrect themselves soon, but if it is alright I would like to have a small private wedding.”

  
“Of course, that sounds perfect,” he leaned down to kiss her forehead, “but for now let’s go see the others.”

  
He stood from the couch taking Belle’s hand in his and led her out of the library. They were silent for most of their trip down to the ground floor. Stairs were exceptionally hard for him given the surprising amount of exhaustion he felt. Adam was thankful for Belle's patience in that moment.

  
When they reached that last staircase, Belle stopped him resting a hand on his arm. He looked down at her, the question of what’s wrong written across his face.

  
“I love you,” Belle said softly leaning up to kiss him.

  
“And I love you,” he said when she pulled away.

  
“I also think you are a very handsome man, just so you know,” Adam laughed at that and started to make his way down the last flight of stairs. He stopped a moment and turned back to look at her.

  
“Thank you, my love. I think you are quite a beauty, my beauty; just so you know,” he flashed her a smile and a wink before grabbing her hand and pulling her along beside him. She had a large smile plastered on her face and he swore in that moment that he had never known such happiness.


End file.
